Sleigh-knee



. Patented May 11,1880.

.1.0. sToR-M. Sleigh-Knee.

N. PETERS, PMOMLITMOGHAPHER. WASHINGTON D C Fay# UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICEo JOHN o. sTOEM, OE MENOMONEE, WISCONSIN.

SLEIGH-KNEE.

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,455, dated May 11,1880.

Application filed November 13, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. STORM, of Menomonee, Dunn county, State ofWisconsin, have invented a new and Improved Sleigh- Knee and Mode ofApplying the Same to the Runner and Beam of a Sleigh; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters ofreference marked thereon, forming a part of this my specification lofsaid invention, in which drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective View of asleighbeam and knee as improved by lne. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinalsection of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan View of a bob-sleigh withmyinvention applied thereto. Fig. 4 is a side view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 isa transverse section of the beam and knee, showing the runner andstay-brace in longitudinal section.

The nature of my inventionconsists in a onepiece metal sleigh-knee forreceiving, binding, and holding in place the beam of a sleigh, as

hereinafter described.

My improved knee is particularly adapted to that class of vehicles whichare constructed with two short sleighs or two bob-sleighs connectedtogether, one in advance of the other, and upon which a single box-bodyis placed, since, owing to the shortness of the runners and in view ofeconomy as to weight, as well as cost of construction, it is desirableto only have a-single beam in such vehicles, provided the runners can befirmly held in position together by a single beam; and these objects areattained by the use of my invention.

' In the drawings, A indicates a sleigh-beam with my improved knee Bapplied to the ends thereof, as shown. C C indicate the wooden runners,and d the metal shoes applied thereto. The knee B may bemadeof eithercast or wrought metal, but preferably of cast metal, since when so madethe cost is but trifling,

` and even less than the cost of constructing ures. These boltways faremade in an oblique direction, as signified in Fig. l, in order that thebolts f2 may be properly applied in line with the oblique set of therunners C, as represented by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the runners beingthus set in order to more effectively resist casual shocks It is alsoreduced, as at e3 and c4, thus forming a lower contracted end bearing,g. This end bearing, g, is made concave, as shown, in order to properlyseat the knee upon a convex metal bearing-bar, gf, which is bolted tothe runner C by bolts g2, which pass through the metal shoe d, asindicated in Figs. 4 and 5. rI he knee is also constructed with arectangular horizontal opening, b, through it, as indicated in Figs. 2and 5, in order to properly receive the end of the beam A, as shown, andis also provided with a broad bearing portion, h, of nearly the width ofthe beam, so that by the use of a bolt and nut, as at h', the knee maybe held firmly in place on the beam. That portion ofthe knee whichoccupies a position beneath the beam is made solid, and thus the concaveend g has a full bearing upon the convex metal plate g', and when inposition, as shown in Fig. 2, the concavity of the end g serves, inconnection with the bolts f2, to act as side abutments against sideshocks upon the runner C, as well as a proper seat, from which therunner cannot be easily displaced. As shown in Fig. 5, the beam A andknee B are secured to the runner C by bolts f2. These bolts are maderound and iit in holes bored through the runner, the

vheads ofthe bolts being countersunkin the runner, as shown. The boltsf2 take into the boltways f of the knee B, and at their upper ends arescrew-threaded and provided with nuts f4, which screw down upon a metallongitudinal stay-brace, W, which extends from the front to the rear endof the runner C. The staybrace W is a strong dat metal bar, confined tothe runner C by bolts, as at f3, and is so formed as to have a portionof its length o o v seated upon the plane surface e of the knee B whenthe beam and knee are fixedly in position, as represented in Fig. 4.

Ordinarily a sleigh knee is applied to a sleigh-runner by cutting atenon on the lower end of the knee, and of a length equal to the fullwidth ofthe lower end of the knee and of IOO a thickness equal toone-third of the thickness of the runner. In other Words, the mortisecut in a sleigh-runner is ordinarily of a length equal to the width ofthe knee at its lower end and of a Width equal to one-third of thethickness of the sleigh-runner, and thus the mortise in the runner andthe tenon on the knee are made to t each other.

The result ot' cutting` these mortises is, that the sleigh-runner iscomparatively weak at its mortised portions, and often breaks at thesepoints. This dit'ticulty my invention overcomes, thus en ablin g me toutilize sleigh-run ners which are much lighter, While at the same timethey are much' stronger, and the cost of construc- 15 tion greatlyreduced.

I claim- As a new article of manufacture, the onepiece metal sleigh-kneeB, provided with a horizontal internal passage, b, to receive the zo endof a sleigh-beam, A, the Walls of which passage surround and bind thefour sides of that portion of the beam W-hich enters said passage,substantially as described.

' JOHN C. STORM.

In presence of- OLE A. LoKEN, ELMER J. NEWsoM.

